The Wind That Fans The Flames
by shells of thalassa
Summary: Lea's story, from where it all really started. [fem!Lea, along with others]
1. Prologue

**EDIT: Thanks to the great review by starlit-pancake, I realized that I made a mistake with the gender of Roxas at one point. THANK-YOU FOR POINTING THIS OUT! :) Also, thanks to the same reviewer, I now realize that a girl MX, Xaldin, or some others would be terrifying. So at the moment, the only genderbend's are the main trios and Naminé. Thanks again! :) (By the way, for pairings, there might be **_some_** Lea/Isa, but I'm honestly not sure yet.)**

Prologue

_Three lives._

_I've lived three lives._

_I honestly never thought that this was possible, but apparently it is. What a shocker, right? J.D. Lea, going on for far longer than she was ever supposed to. What a loser._

_Anyways, I guess this is the part where I... introduce myself?_

_If you haven't guessed it yet, the name's Lea. Got it memorized? I'm in my twenties now, going on 25 if you want to be specific. I'm around... 6 feet tall, I believe. Not that I've actually measured; but with shorties like Sora and Kai around, It's pretty easy to guesstimate. (Is that even a word?) _

_I've got fire-engine red hair, usually pulled back in a ponytail for training, and green eyes. I'm always wearing this ominous-looking black coat, which does absolutely nothing for my new Good-Girl Rep. But it's workable, okay? 'Specially compared to the other outfits the kids wear. (I'll never understand how Riku can fight in those pants. Or why she'd even wear them, to be honest. I may not have the best fashion taste, but even I can tell that's more of a guy thing.) The coat wasn't my first choice, but I'd rather use it then accidentally turn into a vessel._

_I'm pretty sure you all know what a vessel is, but here's a quick re-cap of what's happened just in case. All right, where oh where do I start...?_

_A couple of years ago, I don't know... Ten or somethin'? ('Cause Ventus was apparently involved, and the whole Me V.S. Her fight happened back in R.G... Yeah, ten years.) Anyways, there was some geezer named Master Xehanort that decided to send everyone's life to Hell by starting up a keyblade war for the X-Blade. It got screwed up, and some shit happened to Ventus and two of his friends, and now they're all missing. We figured it was over and done, but __**nope. **_

_Guuuueess whaaat? _

_He came back. _

_With time travel. _

_And, like, four other versions of himself. _

_Then he decided that wasn't enough, and injected some of his heart-virus-stupid-thing into Isa and others that don't really matter to me. Apparently, I was actually supposed to be a vessel. Guess I was just too tough, right? Wish Isa was, too. 'Cause 95% of the original O'13 is safe and sound, while the only ones I ever cared about are dead or vessels. So they're all technically dead._

_Great._

_Anyways, lets complete this happy little prologue, hey? I was actually a Nobody a while back. (Means I got my heart stolen by this creepy little thing called a Heartless.) Hasta la vista life numero uno, right? I got killed with Isa, so she was on her second life, too. We, uh, never should've snuck into the Castle... Whatever._

_I was No. 8; The Flurry Of The Dancing Flames. Chakrams, fire, and wicked face tattoos made up moi. (Moi being Lexa, 'cause Geezernort put X's into all of our names) 'Course, I had to do a little bit of... Uh, let's call it spring cleaning._

_But without the spring._

_And instead of dust, it was traitors._

_...Yeah, sounds about right._

_Aaaanyways, I was all tough-as-nails until the only good thing about the Org. after Xisa (Isa) showed up. The ever-so-important keybearer's-Sora's-Nobody. Her name was Roxas. It sort of sounded like a boy's name, but I know Lea can be considered a guy's name, too. _

_So we sort of, kind of became best friends._

_Then she died._

_I don't know the exact events leading up to it. It's strange, actually. I can clearly remember certain things when she first showed up, then I can remember full scenes near the end, but something's just... missing. Like, I'll have a memory of me and her talking, then there's just this blank space. Or, if there __**is**__ sound, it's like she's talking to herself for a minute. And I don't question it at all, because it just sounds... __**right.**_

_It's weird. But I'd never forget someone like Roxas._

_The kid ran away, and left me some 'WINNER' popsicle stick so I could go out and buy more sea-salt ice-cream without her. Probably so I could go eat it at the Clock Tower and remember her or somethin'. That girl will be the death of me..._

_...Uhhh, __**technically**__ she __**was**__, but we wont get into that..._

_I'm getting off topic. _

_Right..._

_So I died, again, and that was the end of my second life. But was it the end of little old me? __**Nope!**__ I had to come back._

_Not that I really minded, but it was quite awkward waking up in the Castle with the two guards who used to hate me, two people I helped kill, and no Isa. (I miss her.) _

_So I hopped into a Dark Corridor and rescued me a royal. Then I hitched a ride with Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey down to Master Yen Sid's tower. Told 'im I wanted a keyblade._

_...I'm quite surprised he didn't laugh. The dog and the duck weren't very excited, though, and Yen Sid wasn't exactly happy, but he rolled with it. Sent me off to some fairies, who helped me train for what seemed like __**forever.**__ (It was only a few days) Then I go to save Sora from turning all dark like Isa, 'cause Sora's still technically Roxas, and guess what?_

_No keyblade._

**_UUUUGHH._**

_I saved her, anyways. Almost got blasted in the face with Geezernort's heart for the Thirteenth Vessel, though. If I did, that would've suuucked. I kinda like my eyes the way they are. Plus, I wouldn't be able to save Isa! (And Roxas, of course.) It's a work in progress._

_...That story sort of just spoiled everything I'm about to tell you, though, didn't it? _

_Ahhh well. Hope you're still ready for the story. 'Cause it's actually about my life! Like, __**really**__ me. Lea. No one else... Except Isa, and Roxas, and Sora... _

_...85% Lea._

_It doesn't start with the whole adventure up there, though. It starts with my first life. I hope your ready, 'cause it's a pretty wild ride! Wouldn't be me without it, though. Right? 'Cause I'm tough._

_I sure hope you've got that memorized._

* * *

**[A/N: fem!Lea story. If this seems a little OOC, I'm sorry! It's just the prologue, so everything else will be mostly third person. It's Lea's story, BBS until 3D and on. Some things are changed from canon; For example, all of the members of the main three trios and Naminé ****are genderbent. So Sora is a girl, and so is Riku, while Kairi's name is now Kai and she is a he. Also, a few names are changed. (Lea/Axel to Lea/Lexa, Isa/Saix to Isa/Xisa. Lea is pronounced the same, while 'Isa' is more like ee-sah. The only possible OCs used will be parents) Tell me what you think, please! :) Reviews are welcome. Thanks for reading.]**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_The front gate is always an option, but chances are the guards will be there... We could always head around the back, though. Maybe through a window? If Isa boosts me up, I could probably pull her up after me, then we'd be able to continue on through the castle. Maybe we could go through a window near the basement! Yeah, that'd be good, then we could just slip through and open the door and-_

_**CLANG!**_

Lea lifts her head at the sudden noise, a surprised gasp escaping her lips. The girl next to her doesn't bother to stop when she does, instead opting to continue on to the castle. Lea lowers her head again with a frown. Her green eyes zero in on a wooden object laying by her feet.

She bends down, gripping onto the handle of the wooden weapon and picking it up. As a test, she slashes it through the air a few times.

_Light weight, strong build, and obviously well used... _

The word 'Terra' is scratched into it, and Lea can only assume it's the brand. Or the owner's name.

As she brings the sword back to rest in her right hand, she turns to where it was dropped. She's not surprised to find someone sitting there. (Though she is slightly surprised that it's another girl. One she's never seen before, actually.) The girl has short, blonde hair, cut in a bob just below her ears. Her eyes are a wide blue. She's furrowing her eyebrows at the ground, then at Lea.

"This yours?" The girl nods slightly. The red-head opens her mouth to speak again, only to stop when another voice interrupts.

"Lea, we don't have time for this."

Rolling her eyes, said girl turns to the bluenette who apparently bothered to wait. She smirks. "Lighten up, Isa! It'll only take a sec." Her red, platform shoes barely make a sound as she steps forward and tosses the wooden weapon up and catches it. "You still play with toy swords? That's cute." Lea drops the weapon on the ground as the blonde girl-Terra, she's guessing?-quietly groans and turns away. "Now this right here..." She reaches into her vest, pulling out two hand-painted frisbees from their respective spots in the orange garment's hidden pockets. With a smile, she flings her arms out. "Ta-dah! Whaddaya think?"

"Not a whole lot." Terra turns away, frowning. Lea almost laughs.

"You're just _jealous_." _They all are._ "The name's Lea, got it memorized?" She doesn't wait for the blonde to answer. "What's _your_ name?" The question is only asked for clarification's sake. Lea's never seen a weapon brand called 'Terra', so it's obviously the kid's name.

"...Ventus." _Oh. All right, then._

"Okay, _Ventus,_ let's fight!"

"Fight? Why would I want to do that?" _Wimp._

"You scared of losin'?" She raises an eyebrow, bringing a frisbee in front of the girl's face. "C'mon!" She jumps back a few times, swinging the disks and preparing to battle. She's no rookie; She's fought before. It's one of the only reason she got the frisbees, anyways. (Not that _she_ actually got them. She bothered Isa until the older girl finally caved.) If she'd gotten something that actually resembled a weapon, like the sword-looking thing this 'Ventus' girl is swinging around, she'd have been grounded for a month. Which would've sucked.

Lea grins at Ventus again, swinging the discs in her hands slowly. "Hope you're ready!" The girl jumps up with a smile, and Lea's slowly starting to wonder if this was a mistake. Not that she shows her uncertainty. "Yeah! Now we're talkin'!"

"You're gonna be sorry." The girl handles her sword back-handed, which isn't something Lea's seen in a long time. She's only seen it once, actually, a while back when she'd been able to get Isa to agree to spar with her. (It hurt a lot less then when Lea used to jump her.) The girl had used some weird sword-like thing, much like Ventus', but it looked a lot less like a key. She'd handled it back-handed for the first half of the fight, then held it normally once Lea actually managed to land a hit on her arm.

Needless to say, Lea lost after that. (In her defense, Isa _was_ older, which would _obviously_ make her stronger.)

Speaking of Isa; The bluenette is currently making a noise that sounds an awful lot like giggling behind them, and Lea has half a mind to turn around and slap her.

Green eyes glance over her shoulder, and Isa is indeed laughing.

_Ugh._

Isa is fifteen years old, a year older than Lea herself. Her hair is a mellow blue colour rather than Lea's firey orange. She wears her hair up, unlike Lea's which currently goes down to her shoulders. She's wearing a blue tank-top with a small moon on the left side, with white capris and blue shoes to finish off the outfit. Lea constantly wonders why Isa questions _her_ fashion taste (Orange vest, yellow and black keffiyeh, white tank-top, and khaki shorts) when she's walking around dressed like outer space.

There's a silent countdown-_3, 2, 1, go!_-and then Ventus and Lea are running at each other.

Lea swings first, and gasps when she doesn't feel her frisbee hit Ventus; Instead, there's a sudden pain in her leg. She silently sighs. She _really_ shouldn't have challenged this chick.

* * *

"_Eugh!_" Lea collapses onto the ground, barely catching herself with both hands. She has no idea where her frisbees are; All she knows is that Ventus is standing over her with a victorious smirk.

"You... had enough?" Lea's panting, and she's sure that her hair is a mess. There's definitely going to be bruises up-and-down her legs tomorrow, and she silently curses herself for wearing shorts all the time. "...'Cause I'm willing to... Call it a draw if you are." She raises a hand in the air to emphasize before dropping it again.

"Huh?" Ventus jumps back a little, dropping her defensive position. It takes her a moment to process the words, then she laughs. "Right..."

"From where I stood, the only thing you drew was a big 'L' on your head for loser, lame, laughable..."

"Wha-?!" Lea leans her head back with a slight gasp to glare at Isa. "Isn't this the part where ya... Cheer me up or somethin'?" She furrows her eyebrows. "...'You're just having a bad day', or... 'That's what you get for pullin' your punches'." A sigh. "Some friend."

"Oh, you mean I was supposed to lie." Lea drops her head, letting a pout appear on her face. She doesn't bother looking back up.

"Ya see what I gotta put up with?" She slips both hands behind her head, slightly ruffling her hair as she collapses against the courtyard. "Sure hope you don't have friends like _her._" Ventus gasps in shock, before Lea smiles to prove she's joking.

Then they're all laughing.

There's a second of silence before Isa looks behind them, to the castle. Then she frowns and puts her hands on her hips. "Lea, we have to go."

"...'Kay." Said red-head pulls herself up, brushing the dirt off of her shorts as Ventus sighs from behind her.

"Already?"

Lea turns back, a hand on her hip. "I'll see ya when I see ya..." A second of silence. "After all, we're friends now! Get it memorized."

Ventus lets out a slight laugh. "Okay, Lea." The red-head smiles brightly when the blonde recites her name. She definitely got it memorized.

Lea picks up her frisbees before continuing to follow Isa. The bluenette girl pauses at the ramp, waiting for her friend.

"What is it with you and picking up stray puppies?"

"I want everybody I meet to remember me." She pockets the frisbees before offering a small smile. "Inside people's memories, I can live _forever_."

"I know I won't forget you." Isa smirks. "Believe me, I try all the time."

"See? I'm immortal!" Lea puts both hands on her hips, smiling widely. Isa giggles.

"You're obnoxious." The two girls become quiet, both turning to face the castle.

The silence is soon broken.

"...You ready?" Isa lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding, glancing down at her younger friend.

"Well, I can tell you are."

Lea smiles again. "Yeah!"

So the two girls turn and head for the castle.

* * *

_The front gate is always an option, but chances are the guards will be there... We could always head around the back, though. Maybe through a window?_

Lea and Isa walk past the Castle gates once, twice, three times before executing their plan. The guards, Dilan and Aeleus, are two terrifying men. Or, at least Dilan was. Aeleus was rather nice when he wasn't tracking you down and kicking you out of the Castle. At least he'd let you walk out, unlike Dilan...

_ If Isa boosts me up, I could probably pull her up after me, then we'd be able to continue on through the castle. Maybe we could go through a window near the basement! Yeah, that'd be good, then we could just slip through and open the door..._

They circle around on the fourth walk-by, passing the guards.

"Hey, Dilan! Aeleus!" The man with black hair, Dilan, frowns at Lea. Aeleus, the slightly shorter brunette, quietly nods in acknowledgement.

"Get going."

"Nice to see ya too, Dilan. We'll keep in touch." Lea smirks, trailing behind her friend. Isa doesn't bother looking at the guards, only taking a _slightly_ different course than the last. The guards don't seem to notice.

_Idiots..._ Lea snorts lightly, earning a sideways glance from Isa. The red-head merely shrugs as they continue walking.

The next step is an easy one; The basement window's easy to see if you look in the right place.

"All right, let's do this." Isa says, stretching out her hands before going to unlock the window. She used a bobby pin, twisting it through the lock.

_**CLICK, CLICK!**_

"We're in."

"Sweet!" Lea jumps forward, pushing the window open and sliding in. Her feet make a quiet 'thump' as she hits the ground, but nothing too noticeable. There's another 'thump' as Isa follows. The bluenette turns around, closing the window behind her.

"We can just unlock it later," She suggests. Lea nods, watching with a slight frown as Isa steps forward to lead the way.

"You sure you know where you're goin'? 'Cause I can always lead." Not that Lea actually knows the way, but...

"I doubt you know the way any better than I do."

"I so do!"

"Really?" Isa stops abruptly, and Lea almost runs into her. Green eyes blink in confusion before zeroing in on the smirk on Isa's face.

_Oh, no._

"Then how about you lead the way?" Lea pales immediately.

"...Uh, well, y'see..." She scratches at the back of her neck. "...I, uh, can't see."

"You can't?"

"Yeah! I mean, it's so dark in here, y'know?" The red-head laughs. "So you just... keep doin' what you're doin'."

"Lea, you're looking right at me."

"I'm following your voice!"

"It isn't even dark. The lights are on."

"Just... Just shaddup and lead the way!"

With a slight laugh, Isa takes a step down the hall again. "All right, I _guess._ You loser."

"Owch, much?" Lea frowns and tilts her head back. "I seriously need new friends... Maybe I should track down Ventus later."

"Ventus?" Green eyes watch in confusion as Isa shakes her head. "You two wouldn't get along."

Lea stops walking. "Whaddya mean? We were gettin' along fine earlier!"

"You're both too headstrong," Isa stops, too, crossing her arms. "It would just end up a huge mess, and I'd be left to pick up the pieces."

"Like you'd help with that?" The younger girl shakes her head. "The high-and-mighty Isa, helping lowly peasant Lea with her friendship? Unthinkable."

"Be quiet!"

"Make me," Lea smirks, slipping both hands into her pockets.

After a second of consideration, her smirk falls.

"Wait, _headstrong_?" The bluenette audibly sighs.

"Let's just get to the basement."

"All right, all right..." The conversation comes to an end as the two girls turn the next corner, heading to the stairway.

* * *

_We're finally gonna make it! We've never gotten this far before. I wish we would've thought of using a window earlier. (It was all Isa's idea, but let's just say that we came up with it together. Teamwork, am I right?) Dilan and Aeleus are totally clueless. (Which is surprising, as we've been talkin' kinda loud...) I know that other people are here; those freaky scientists, to be exact. If we're careful, though, we can avoid them. Then... BAM! We're in the basement!_

_Where they keep the experiments._

_Ma thinks that we're crazy, even though everyone's been talking about 'em. She says that and she's getting sick of the constant Castle 'shenanigans', but it's not that big of a deal, right? It's not like we're dieing or anything. (Unless those scientists catch us. I don't care what anyone else says, they'll kill us.) It'd be great not to get lectured, though, so here's hopin' that we make it through here unscathed._

_It'd be even better if we could see the experiments, and get real, actual proof! So maybe someone'll actually believe us for once. That'd be awesome, y'know? _

_So here's hopin'..._

* * *

__

**A/N: All right, first chapter done! I don't own the lines from the scene with Ventus, nor do I own Lea, Isa, Dilan, Aeleus, Ienzo, etc...  
Hope you guys enjoyed! Again, please point out if there's any errors. Reviews and critics are welcome! (And highly appreciated) Thanks for reading!**


End file.
